When do people use the Flight Director function on AP?

455 Bravo Uniform

455 Bravo Uniform

Final Approach
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455 Bravo Uniform
I haven’t flown enough to have occasion to use it...but what would I use it for and why? Is this basically to “hand fly” an approach without having to look at GPS, VOR, LOC/GS? Talking steam gauge AI.
 
It’s helpful on an instrument approach. I rarely use it flying GA but we use it all the time at the airlines. It’s also good practice to turn it off and fly raw data occasionally in case we have a deferred FD.
 
It's not a replacement for a good scan...it's just an additional tool to use.
 
I use them almost all of the time flying the bigger stuff, it's what the book tells us to do. +1 on hand flying just to make sure I still got it. In GA I have a bit of experience. I've noticed that the best use of the FD for me is to notice what the AP wants the airplane to do. It's kinda like having an AP perdictor that is a few seconds ahead of the airplane. It's a good check to see what the flight computers think what's best for the airplane verses what I think is best. Sometimes I'm wrong, sometimes the AP is following some garbage I programmed, sometimes it's a mode discrepancy that is caught before the stick shaker wakes up the captain.

"Where's it going this time?" Vs "I see what you want to do there."
 
Interesting. I’ve always got it turned off. Starting my book learning for instrument training recently and got to thinking about how it could come in handy.

But also how it could introduce another variable for error...FD follows AP instruction which follows HSI which follows GPS. Unless I got that wrong.
 
Most always on, if I’m doing a circle to land I’ll hit ALT and turn the nav part off at mins, than turn it off once I leave that altitude or turn base, for maneuvers I’ll have it off, or for a nice lazy VFR putting around or touch and goes etc it’ll be off.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Interesting. I’ve always got it turned off. Starting my book learning for instrument training recently and got to thinking about how it could come in handy.

But also how it could introduce another variable for error...FD follows AP instruction which follows HSI which follows GPS. Unless I got that wrong.
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Any piece of equipment introduces variables for error...that's where good procedures and checklist use come in.
 
Frankly I really like having an FD whether I’m hand flying or the AP is. I don’t see the logic of leaving it off because it’s a variable that might fail. You can say that about almost everything in the panel.
 
I use it, TO/GA mode is nice when departing IMC. Or hand flying an approach. Was a little weird to get used to at first but I find my flying to be smoother when following the fight director for an approach
 
The ILS position indicators can’t depict any more deviation than you see. The FD commanding a small correction will be your first clue a correction is needed to stay exactly center on the LOC/GS.
 
I'm flying Cirrus and I love the Flight director. But kgruber is right, if you are not using it, turn it off, very distracting.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
But also how it could introduce another variable for error...FD follows AP instruction which follows HSI which follows GPS. Unless I got that wrong.
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Well, I guess it depends on the flight director, but normally the flight director will also work when the autopilot is off. It gets its information from whichever pitch and roll mode happens to be active at the time.
 
I'm kinda surprised that this thread didn't get all "get off my lawn!"

I was expecting:

1. Back in my day we drew compass numbers on a hockey puck backwards and put it on a stick;

2. BIMD, Our sky pointer told us our wings were level but we didn't know if we were greasy side down or up;

3. BIMD, A flight director told us to go fly or someone else will;

4. I don't trust the government and it's silly GPS, why would I trust another piece of new fangled fad to tell me where to go;

5. BIMD, An autopilot was called a copilot;

6. BIMD, No one needed a CR3 when the E6B does just fine;

7. BIMD, The ADF was all we needed;

8. BIMD, safety was knowing how to fly up hill, both ways, in the driving icing, AND WE LIKED IT!

Good to see it hasn't! :)
 
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Eric Stoltz said:
I'm kinda surprised that this thread didn't get all "get off my lawn!"

I was expecting:

1. Back in my day we drew compass numbers on a hockey puck backwards and put it on a stick;

2. BIMD, Our sky pointer told us our wings were level but we didn't know if we were greasy side down or up;

3. BIMD, A flight director told us to go fly or someone else will;

4. I don't trust the government and it's silly GPS, why would I trust another piece of new fangled fad to tell me where to go;

5. BIMD, An autopilot was called a copilot;

6. BIMD, No one needed a CR3 when the E6B does just fine;

7. BIMD, The ADF was all we needed;

8. BIMD, safety was knowing how to fly up hill, both ways, in the driving icing, AND WE LIKED IT!

Good to see it hasn't, yet. :)
Click to expand...

Kumbaya baby.
 
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